Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-08-01
THE GREAT DRAGON.
THE SUBJECT OF REV. ATWUbu.> LECTURE
LAST EVENING.
The Pastor Of ,ae Disciples Church Continues Ills
Series Oh. Discusses o. a Llrss
Audience


Rev. Atwood delivered the seventh of his
series Of Sunday evening lectures at the
Disciples Church last night, quite large
audience being present. He took for his
text Rev. All. l. The great red dragon.
lie said
We do not consider this subject tor the
purpose of making it appear, either that
the woman in the lr~t verse is the Papai
Church, ofthat the dragon in the third Isthe
Papal Government, but because IN eNPoSl-
ton OF this part of this chapter is necessary
to an understanding OF the next. The wo-
man is symbol OF the true church, and the
sun with which she Is clothed, the Sun ui
Righteousness, spoken OF IN Malachi 10,
which WAS To arise with healing IN his
wings This sun had arisen at the time
OF this vision, and the church
ut that time was standing in It's full hight.
The apostIcy, or falling away had not
vet come. That man OF Su, the son at
perditiou, was not vet revealed, though
the mystery OF miquity was already at
work, - Thess. , chapter. The Jewish
system, which. like the moon, Shone only
hy Its reflected light, WAS already waned,
hy this sun which was the true light that
hghteth every man that cometh INTO the
world and was disappearing forever.
The crown OF twelve stars symhoile5
THE TWELVE APOSTLES.
The woman with these rrsplendent adon-
ments upon her, is a tr'nsreudrntly beau
uul and appropriate emblem OF the Bride
the Lambs wife, while the waning moon
under her feet is au equally lifting repre-
s,ntation OF the woman who symbOlZed
the Jewish institutions; and Is described M
the third chapter ot jeremiah.
"A beast we remember Is symbol oi
government. dragon Is not beast F.
though 1t is like beast in many respects |
or. rather, 1t is like u great many beasts,
IA a great many respects. II i "a fabulous
monster, aud was supposed "a combine m
in itself. the peculiarly hjdeouS feature, OF
the most hiieous beasts, birds, fishes and
reptiles 4 monster like that could only F,
SyuboIize government that combined IN
itself all known forms OF government /
aud that WIS characterized by everything !
that was evil in them. all All this was
true of Rome in the days OF
THE PAGAN ElWEEoE~,
and Was not true OF any other government
that ever existed. IL h,d then passed
through every form ku0wG to other ma
tionS. ana through several forms p cuIuar
10 rtsel. IL also united IN itself all known
forms OF religion. The seven heads may
fuply seven different forms through which
according 10 some writer's II passed, or the
seven may IN this, - IN other places IN tile
Bible. without numerical significance.
II had crowns upoI It's heads unlike the
beast in the next chapter which had
crowns on It's horns. The significance Of
the heads, horns aud crowns, will he more
fully explained when We consider the next
chapter.
II was a great red dragon. Red WAS the
distinguishing color OF the kings. cunsUlS
and emprrors OF pagan Rome, - 1t ., OF
an. diguitarIes ot pIpIl Rome to-day. The
tail drew the third part u! the stars OF
heaven and did east them To the ground. .
Stars sometimes represent Puurc> AMI
ministers In the first verse oi tins chap F.
ten they represent the twelve apostles In
t,ruesi~ .gth aud 18th, the twelve sous OF
Jacob. the head ct the twelve tribes OF
Israel
The heaven here spoken of We take to
bee the kingdom that the tod OF heaven
wouId set up in the days OF the four .tn%- |
,loms, represented by the image which |
NrbuchI,iueZlar SAW in his dream aud |
which would break in pieces the iour king
dom. that preceded il. Dan. >. The
s..mr which John the BAPTIST, and
Jesus, and the seventy said Was ut hand |
The keys OF which Christ gave to
THE APOSTLE PETER,
and which Peter opened on the day OF /
pru,icust which broke the Roman Empire /
into ten fragments, represented bE the
ten toes of the imlgp. aud the ten horns OF
the beast.
o..Thr dragon stood before the woman
10 dryuur hyy rhjId as soon tS 1t was born.
RMS would seem &C. apply To Mary aud /
her son. llrrOd beiu. king by the an /
thnrity OF Rome would rrptragH; the .
DRAGON and Mary the woman. The dragon |
Hrrod hoping To destroy the child at the .
Woman Mary, slew all the children IA
Bethlehem. aud aIl the cuJ~t thereof from
two wears old ami uGicr But tins - % /
booE nf sIyns and these things are uot
.,,,,,s rut actual occurrences There are
-. ,ftb,. yi4ipu that will not Az
pIy to Mary and her child, t5ongh her
child wls to rule the nations wttha roll OF
iron. Psalm > and 9TH, and he was
caught up unto tod aui - his throne.
= ID n tr,s1-I
,.,rb. ,yn,,a,, was, symbol OF
........... ....,..,,.,..,
'"H ID ''' II /
and the Roman Dragon Stool De'o.s ",l
M the E'me sens" Iu'' '"T l"o " '',''', Y.
~taud "''"'' 'PN' i'''' IN.